1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and to a system to display support information related to a personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computers, in particular personal computers (PC), include numerous complex devices and systems. Various devices relate to input and output, computing memory, computing storage, and processing. Often times these devices fail and an end-user must determine the problem device, find the cause, and determine the solution as to fixing the problem. PC end-users typically are not technically proficient to address the experienced failures. PC manufacturers can provide support groups which an end-user can call and request assistance from a trained technician.
A technician familiar with the particular PC architecture and or device, typically is able to provide suggestions as to possible causes of the failure. The technician offers these suggestions through a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to the problem. Typically there are many causes for a particular problem. For example in the case of a floppy disk drive, there can be read or write problems. These problems can be a cause of faulty hardware. Sometimes the problem that is experienced is due to having a corrupted floppy disk in the drive.
A trained technician is able to sort through all the possible FAQs and corresponding causes and identify the most likely cause or causes. In certain cases, the FAQs are provided locally in a PC. The FAQ files are arranged in an order that relates FAQs to particular components and or devices. By having the FAQs reside on the PC, the intent is that end-users are able to access the FAQs, and identify the problem(s) themselves without consultation. This would eliminate the calls to the support group. In certain software programs that provide FAQs, the individual FAQs are organized as separate files. The files can be structured in a hierarchical manner. If a top level FAQ is requested, typically all the FAQ files below the top level FAQ file are presented to the end-user. The FAQ list is not sorted out to present the relevant FAQ(s) that is needed by the end-user.
A solution to prevent listing a great number of FAQs to the end-user is to present the most commonly occurring FAQs. This solution fails when the FAQ(s) related to the particular problem is not presented. An end-user is forced to request all the FAQ files, and receives a large list of FAQs. Overwhelmed by the information provided, the end-user typically ends up calling the technical support group, defeating the purpose of locally providing the FAQs to the end-user.
To assist in trouble shooting problems, many PCs make use of diagnostic programs that troubleshoot and identify problems in components and devices in a PC. Like the FAQ, these diagnostic tests typically provide a great number of results. For example, if a diagnostic test (also called a test module) is performed on a floppy drive, the errors that are identified can be caused by read or write problems. These read or write problems in turn can be caused by line problems connecting the drive to the PC system. Typically diagnostic results are presented in a terse manner, with minimum explanations as to the cause of the problem, and no recommendations as to fixing the problem. The diagnostic program typically lists all the problems, and their related problems, to the end-user. The end-user is therefore presented with a large number of cryptic messages related to possible causes. Diagnostic programs are a tremendous tool for trained technicians, however, the results from the diagnostic programs are useless to many end-users who are merely looking for an answer to a problem and not to causes of the problem.
Because diagnostic programs are written in the English language, the results that are created by the diagnostic programs are in English. Any user, whether it be an unskilled end-user or highly skilled PC technician, must be able to read English to decipher the generated results of the diagnostic program. A non-English reading user can not make use of the diagnostic results that are printed out. Considering the global community of PC users, and the multitude of languages used by PC users, it would be cost prohibitive if not impossible, to provide diagnostic programs that are language friendly to all PC users.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and a system that provide end-user support information such as diagnostics in a form in which displayed information is pertinent, easily used, and provides concise answers to computer problems or failures.